Acute and chronic ecotoxicity tests with zinc were performed with the earthworm Eisenia fetida, the potworm Enchytraeus albidus, and the springtail Folsomia candida. To assess the influence of the soil type on zinc toxicity for these soil invertebrates, these tests were carried out in a standard artificial soil, a sandy and a loamy field soil. Based on the results of this experimental work and ...

Nine toxicity tests were conducted using a procedure based on the OECD (1984) artificial soil earthworm toxicity test. For each test, Eisenia jet ida were exposed to zinc in a range of artificial soils with differing pH and/or organic matter (0 M) content. Earthworm survival and cocoon production, and the concentrations of zinc in two fractions (nitric acid extractable, water extractable) and t...

Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) are an established tool in environmental risk assessment and a valuable alternative to the exhaustive use of test animals under REACH. In this study a QSAR was developed for the toxicity of a series of six chloroanilines to the soil-dwelling collembolan Folsomia candida in standardized natural LUFA2.2 soil. Toxicity endpoints incorporated in...

The aim of this study was to compare the toxic effects of selected two- and three-ringed PAHs (naphthalene, phenanthrene, and anthracene) and their N-heterocyclic analogs with one (quinoline, acridine, and phenanthridine) or two (quinoxaline, phenazine, and 1,10-phenanthroline) nitrogen atoms on the survival and reproduction of Enchytraeus crypticus in artificial soil. Toxicity of compounds was...

Various inorganic and organic pollutants in industrial soils may adversely affect soil microorganisms and terrestrial ecosystem functioning. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the microbial activity, microbial biomass, and functional diversity of soil bacteria and the metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region (Poland). We co...

Zirconium (Zr) is a transition metal that has both stable and radioactive isotopes.This metal has gained significant attention as a major pollutant of concern, partly because it has been prominent in the debate concerning the growing anthropogenic pressure on the environment. Its numerous past and present uses have induced significant soil and water pollution. Zr is generally considered to have...

The environmental risk assessment of metals in the soil compartment is based mainly on tests performed in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) artificial soil, but ecologically, the use of natural soils would be more relevant. In this contribution, the reproduction and growth of three standard species (an earthworm, a collembolan, and a dicotyledonous plant, respectively...

The present study assessed the uptake and toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), ZnO bulk, and ZnCl₂ salt in earthworms in spiked agricultural soils. In addition, the toxicity of aqueous extracts to Daphnia magna and Chlorella vulgaris was analyzed to determine the risk of these soils to the aquatic compartment. We then investigated the distribution of Zn in soil fractions to interpret the nature...

Vegetable oils and their derivatives, like biodiesel, are used extensively throughout the world, thus posing an environmental risk when disposed. Toxicity testing using test organisms shows how these residues affect ecosystems. Toxicity tests using earthworms (Eisenia foetida) are widespread because they are a practical resource for analyzing terrestrial organisms. For phytotoxicological analys...